Navicular Stress Reaction

The navicular stress reaction is a kind of condition that is characterized with an incomplete crack in your navicular bone. The term navicular is defined as an anatomical name that is given to a certain bone that is located in your mid-foot. The navicular bone is located at the top of your foot arch.

The navicular stress reaction usually occurs if a certain person encounters a navicular stress fracture in his or her navicular bone. The tibialis posterior is a kind of muscle present in your navicular bone. If this bone muscle contracts, there is a certain pulling force that is being exerted in your bone.

Weight activity will place a compressive force through your navicular and with the presence of that energy, your navicular bone can be damaged. The so-called bony damaged will lead to stress reaction and navicular stress fracture. Learn more about the navicular stress reaction and learn how to deal with it.

Causes of Navicular Stress Reaction and Fracture

The navicular stress reaction and stress fracture have the ability to occur over time and the common cause of this is the excessive weight activity that includes sprinting, running, dancing and jumping. It can also occur in the recent change of activity and training conditions like footwear technique changes and surface changes.

Signs and Symptoms of Navicular Stress Reaction and Fracture

The patients who have this kind of condition usually experience poor localized pain in the inner part of their ankle and foot whenever they increase their impact activity like jumping, running, hopping and sprinting.

As the symptoms become worse, they might experience limp especially during weight activity and they tend to stop their daily routines due to excessive pain. That sensation usually comes from the outer aspect of the patients’ foot, second toes and inner aspect of their heel bone.

In other cases, most specialists recommend standing and walking that will aggravate the symptoms. There are also other symptoms that they will encounter that include night pain or ache in the navicular bone.

Diagnosis of Navicular Stress Reaction and Fracture

A thorough objective and subjective examination from your physiotherapist is the best thing to do to diagnose this kind of condition. You are also required to undergone MRI, X-ray and bone scan or CT scan to confirm a certain diagnosis and it can easily determine if it is a kind of severity of an injury.

With the presence of the latest trend of technology and devices, you will not worry about in treating your navicular stress reaction that is usually due to navicular stress fracture.

Prognosis of Navicular Stress Reaction and Fracture

Most patients who have navicular stress reaction is recommended to undergone a physiotherapy management to attain full recovery. This process lasts about 3-9 months and after that you can return to full sport activities.

In other critical cases of navicular stress reaction, the recovery process will take for about 1 year that will still depend on the required intervention and factors. There are also cases wherein certain patients can still encounter ongoing complications and symptoms that require appropriate management.